On this beautiful March day with not a single spy balloon in the sky, we want to drop in a spontaneous thank you for your consistent support of our mission. Every once in a while it hits us how lucky we are to have you in our community, and be on a mission to take down Big News with you. The future of nonpartisan, fact-first news has never been brighter 🌊
In today's edition:
Big News taking L's left and right
Secession in Atlanta?
Africa: Land of Opportunity
🔑 Key Stories
Federal Government TikTok Ban
The White House gave US federal employees 30 days to delete TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices
Chinese tech company ByteDance owns TikTok, the world’s 6th-most-used social media app
In 2020, then-president Trump ordered TikTok to sell its American operations, claiming China may have access to TikTok’s user data; a court blocked the order, though, and President Biden later rescinded it
Over the past year, Congress, most US states, and the military have banned TikTok on government devices. On Monday, the Biden administration followed suit, banning it on all federal gov’t devices within 30 days
Dig Deeper
A Chinese government spokesperson said the US "has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries’ companies."
“How unsure of itself can the US, the world’s top superpower, be to fear a young person’s favorite app to such a degree?”
Big News Controversies
CNN and Fox News are both facing controversies
On Sunday, CNN show State of the Union held a panel discussion about the East Palestine train derailment. One participant was a man who had previously lobbied on Norfolk Southern’s behalf, although that wasn’t exposed until after the panel
Fox News is currently facing a $1.6B lawsuit by election-machine manufacturer Dominion, which claims that Fox News should be held liable for statements it made about the 2020 election. In a testimony, Fox News’ billionaire owner, Rupert Murdoch, said it “endorsed” some election denials
Dig Deeper
The CNN contributor was the president of a lobbying firm that received over $1M from Norfolk Southern for lobbying on “transportation issues related to railways.” He was later a Trump appointee and executive at ByteDance, which owns TikTok
On Fox News, guests of the network accused Dominion of making up votes for Biden and working for the late Venezuelan socialist president Hugo Chavez. Asked if Fox News “did more than simply host” guests, Murdoch said, “I think you’ve shown me some material in support of that”
SCOTUS Hears Debt Forgiveness Case
The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) heard 3+ hours of arguments about President Biden’s debt forgiveness plan
In August, Biden used executive powers to cancel up to $20k in government student debt per borrower. SCOTUS is hearing 2 challenges to that policy, and its decision will determine whether the policy actually happens
Those challenging the policy say Biden overreached and improperly enacted it; the Biden admin says the pandemic “necessitated unprecedented aid”
Several conservative justices questioned the size of the program and Biden’s right to have enacted it. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority
Dig Deeper
The Heroes Act gives the education secretary permission to “waive” or “modify” student loan programs
Chief Justice John Roberts said, “We’re talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans. How does that fit under the normal definition of ‘modify’?”
Justice Samuel Alito said that the Biden administration apparently believes that “a trillion dollars here, a trillion dollars there, doesn’t really make much difference to Congress,” which, he said, didn’t seem “very sensible”
Elon Musk to Form ChatGPT Rival?
Elon Musk is reportedly in talks with AI engineers to create a rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a non-profit but left its board in 2018. It then became a for-profit, which Musk has said is “not what I intended at all”
Last year, OpenAI released ChatGPT; in response, Microsoft is reportedly investing $10B more into it. In December, Musk suggested that ChatGPT is “training AI to be woke – in other words, [to] lie – [which] is deadly”
Per The Information, Musk is talking with top AI engineers to form a new AI company. He’s called AI "one of the biggest risks to the future of civilization"
Dig Deeper
"[AIboth positive or negative and has great, great promise, great capability," Musk said, adding that "with that comes great danger"
Mastering math, data science, and CS — your new daily habit
Together with Brilliant.org
Brilliant.org makes it easy for professionals and lifelong learners to master concepts in math, data science, and computer science
Their lessons are bite-size and perfect for skilling up whenever you have time. And since it’s available on any device, Brilliant.org works wherever you do
Brilliant.org helps you learn core concepts behind technology that’s driving innovation—everything from foundational and advanced math to AI, neural networks, data science, and beyond
You can form a real learning habit with fun content that’s always well-paced, game-like progress tracking, and friendly reminders
The Roca team’s most recent obsession is doing Brilliant.org’s astrophysics and neural network lessons on the subway to Roca HQ
Dig Deeper
Brilliant.org’s lessons make it easy to level up in serious topics whenever you have a few minutes. Roca readers get a 30-day free trial and up to 20% off an annual subscription
🍿 Popcorn
ICYMI
Foot out the door: Lori Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor to lose re-election in over 40 years. She finished in 3rd place in Chicago's mayoral election Tuesday
Mamba suit out: Vanessa Bryant, the wife of the late Kobe Bryant, settled with Los Angeles County for $29M over crash photos LA deputies circulated internally
Viva la Buckhead: Atlanta's wealthiest district, Buckhead, is inching closer to a secession from the city over concerns about crimes and other issues
Wildcard
🐐 roast? Tom Brady is reportedly in talks with Netflix to star in a roast special. The TMZ report that he wanted to try stand-up comedy is false
"Can you keep your robot?" 60% of Americans would be uncomfortable with their provider relying on AI in their own health care, per a Pew Research survey
Coffin-scated bag: Peruvian police found a mummy in the bag of a man who was acting drunk at an archaeological site. He said he liked to show the mummy off to his friends
👇 What do you think?
Today's Question:
What is the most motivating factor in your life?
Reply to this email with your answers!
See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
🌯 Roca Wrap
Most people wouldn’t think of Africa as the land of opportunity.
In China, though, millions do: Between 1M and 2M Chinese people are currently living on the continent. Many, if not most, have emigrated there permanently.
Across all of sub-Saharan Africa, per-capita GDP is estimated at around $1,600. China’s is $12,000, more than 7x. Sub-Saharan Africa’s murder rate is around 9 per 100,000 people – 20x China’s .5 per 100,000 people rate. China’s literacy rate is around 100%; sub-Saharan Africa’s is 67%.
Yet none of that has stopped a mass migration to the continent. Why?
Interviews by researchers and journalists suggest it’s a combination of factors. Some migrants have said that China is too cut-throat and competitive. They want less stressful lives, so they move. Others say the pollution and air quality are too bad. Many simply see business opportunities: Most African economies are poorly developed, and there are more opportunities to start profitable but basic businesses.
Many also come as migrant laborers to work on Chinese projects. Chinese companies have spent about $90B since 2005 just in sub-Saharan Africa. Their projects range from dams and power plants to factories, train lines, and mines.
Chinese companies execute these projects with Chinese management, and many, if not most, of the workers are also Chinese. Some laborers bounce between projects; others return to China after.
One of the countries where China has invested the most is Ethiopia, where its companies have spent $25B since 2005.
In one extremely poor desert province we passed a Chinese factory; in most cities, we passed under-construction stadiums, the banners on which said they were being built by Chinese companies. Airports, even in remote places, are being built by Chinese companies. In tribal areas, Chinese companies are opening mines. And the countries’ only highways have been built by China.
In some of the most remote places, people we spoke to said Chinese people had moved in, either permanently or for temporary projects. Some people praised China, but most we spoke to were less positive about the laborers themselves. Some of those views seemed logical (“They don’t speak the language”), others seemed like negative stereotypes (“They eat dogs”).
When we were in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, we met a local man who told us he had recently found a neighborhood with a number of Chinese restaurants. One night, we decided to look for it.
On Google maps we spotted a batch of places that only had Chinese characters and went there. After walking down a dark street, we ended up at an open gate with a sign on top in Chinese characters. We passed through it and found a restaurant on the other side.
The restaurant’s manager was Chinese, but the servers were Ethiopian. They laughed as we came in and handed us the menu.
The prices were so high we couldn’t believe it: $12 for a bowl of noodles, in a country where comparable restaurants would charge $3 for a meal. The waitresses giggled and said in English, “Yes, Chinese food is very expensive here.”
It was around 8 PM, but most of the nearby places – Chinese markets, grocers, and restaurants – were already closed. After walking around for a few more minutes, we dropped into another expensive Chinese noodle place.
We were the only customers, and a young, smiley Chinese man sat us. The restaurant was named after a region in western China where Muslims live, and the man was wearing a traditional Islamic cap. Yet on the wall was a framed picture of 4 of history’s greatest atheist communists: Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin, Karl Marx, and Mao Zedong.
A picture of Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao.
The menu was in Chinese but had pictures, so we could point to order. We ended up getting spicy beef noodles. The meal was delicious but expensive ($30 for 2).
When I went to pay, the owner tried to ask me where I was from. I said the US, which made him excited. “You, Joe Biden. Me, Xi Jinping”
The man showed me some pictures on his phone, including one of him serving noodles to the king of Jordan. I gathered from his gestures and photos that he used to live in Jordan and operate a Chinese restaurant there. He asked me for my number so we could stay in touch, and said his name was Ma.
He then pulled out his phone and typed something in Chinese into Google translate.
“I want to go to the US but visa is too expensive.”
So with the US out of reach, he had decided that Ethiopia was where he would pursue his dream.
If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!
🌊 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Which dairy treat is more delicious?
Ice Cream: 70%
Milkshake: 30%
Yesterday's Question:
What's a daily practice you swear by?
Camden from LA: “Vitamins. I feel a noticeable difference when I don’t take them morning & night. Which makes me sound like a 40 year old but I’m only 22”
Jenn from Ontario: “I start each day by drinking the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon in 24 oz of tepid water.”
Shepard from Atlanta: “Cold showers, first thing after waking in the morning. There simply is nothing better for a person's health than a cold shower- it's a mood re-booster, it is the cheapest happy pill a person can take, it is the BEST way to ward off illness and increase one's physical health. Plus, the daily practice builds tough 'grit' in a person.”
🧠 Final Thoughts
Happy Hump Day, all. We hope your weeks are off to a better start than the federal government’s TikTok accounts, Fox News, or CNN. If not…you’re having a rough week.
See you tomorrow!
–Max and Max
